Marvel‘s ongoing experimentation with the Korean comics industry has been a rousing success—so successful it’s bringing its Korean manhwa (comic) series Avengers K to the U.S.
Illustration courtesy of Marvel
Drawn by popular Korean artists, the graphic novel series Avengers K will premiere in May. Written by Si Yeon Park and featuring a roster of prominent Korean artists, Avengers vs. Ultron is the first of the five-book series, which follows the classic Avengers narrative:
Scientist Hank Pym sets out to create the world’s first artificial intelligence. Instead, he creates a monster. Enter Ultron! But one diabolical robot isn’t enough: When Ultron in turn creates the Vision, the Avengers are really in trouble. Together, the pair is poised to destroy the Avengers — and the world. But wait! Who is the Bride of Ultron? What happens next is a tale beloved around the world — with a story telling flair distinctive to a South Korean style!
Marvel also released a glimpse of the untranslated comic panels, to give English-language fans a taste of what they can expect in May.
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The initiative is a partnership between Marvel and Korean comics publishing giant Daewon C.I., and comes after a number of forays by Marvel to appeal to its Asian fanbases—from featuring a crossover with beloved manga Attack on Titan in an issue of Spider-Man last year to premiering a new Korean superhero, Silver Fox, exclusively on Korean digital manga platforms.
“Marvel’s popularity is growing exponentially throughout Asia—specifically within Korea—which has resulted in a vast catalog of visually kinetic original content,” Marvel Senior Vice President David Gabriel stated in a press release issued Monday.
InSu Seok, editor-in-chief of Daewon, added that English-speaking Marvel fans will be treated to Korea’s unique illustration style: “With new panel construction and the use of exciting colors in manhwa style this is a reinvention of Marvel’s most popular comic franchise in a daring new direction.”
It looks as though the English-language versions of the graphic novels will still retain their Korean style. The series is available for preorder.
Illustration via Marvel Entertainment